Tag: working

My life has changed drastically just like literally all of ours. I usually work three jobs, my main job is a full-time nanny and then I have my cleaning business and I work as an assistant wedding planner. Of course, all three of these jobs stopped existing in the face of this pandemic and for a very terrifying week, I was unemployed. Then I sat down at my kitchen table with a coffee or cocktail (it was my one week of unemployment to be fair) and applied to every single job that I thought might take a college drop out like me. I also dmed a few grocery stores because I thought they might be hiring asap and that was how I got the job of a cashier and the most expensive grocery store in the west village. This is a place that charges $8 for a brick of cafe bustelo and there’s a tomato sauce that costs $12.99 (shout out to Rao’s for apparently being THAT good). Of course, the pay minimum wage but I don’t have the type of savings that would allow for me to be unemployed for more than a week so I took the job.

My nannying job pays $25 an hour so the price drop has been a lot for me to deal with. It’s also been hard not knowing when/if my job will return. My nanny family moved from the west village to their beach house in New Jersey. At the beginning of the virus, they wanted me to travel there and stay for three days of the week and then go home. I did this for two weeks and then I had to stop because it felt very dangerous for an asthmatic like me to be traveling on the subway and the train all the time during a very deadly virus. The day I traveled home from NJ for the last time a stay in place order was issued and I couldn’t have been happier to be in home sweet Brooklyn and not NJ.

The grocery store job is as soul-sucking as you’d imagine. No one grows up saying they want to be a cashier and even if they did they’d take one look at the paycheck and change their mind. Most of my co-workers are nice. Some of them are snappy or up tight but it’s cause they’re miserable and I don’t blame them. When I’m at that job I’m miserable too. It’s hard to go through eight hours having the same stunted interactions with people. I ask the same questions to every person. “Hello, how are you? Do you have a store card? Do you want bags? Would you like to donate a bundle or milk to COVID relief?” The store I work for is doing a fundraiser for City Harvest which is well-intentioned but it’s so horrible to have to ask people for money during this time. They’ll say no and then pull out their ebt card and you feel like such a dick for asking them for money to feed other people when they’re struggling too. I always wish the store it’s self would donate money and leave their customers out of it.

Today was a good day though because I am trying to enjoy my life and make the very best of it all. At work in my shitty work uniform and same pair of black sneakers, I try to bring myself to the register as well by doing my makeup like I would and never coming to work in my uniform. I keep my polyester work shirt in my store locker and change into it at the last second so that I can feel like myself for as long as possible. Today was also a good day because I got out at 12:45 pm and when I walked out of the sliding doors the sun was shining and the birds were screaming their little snow-white heads off. I went home and fixed myself a drink (my new favorite: sunny d + lime juice + tequila + tajin) and got a facetime from an unknown number hung up on them. I then immediately realized it was a facetime interview I had scheduled for that time. I called her back and tried my best to show that I’m a very qualified hardworking nanny that’s good at what she does.

The highlight of my day was making a pinata. My family and I used to do this many times a year. We’d make them for my sisters and i’s birthday parties. I was out of practice but doing it brought back so many warm memories of happier and more than anything brighter easier times. The smell of the flour and water and feeling of the paste drying on my fingers was therapeutic. The biggest part of me wishes I had the money and privilege to be fully quarantined and staying home during this time. I would love to have the time to do all the wild and rather mundane fantasies I’ve had during my life of what I would do if I had time to figure out what I wanted to do. While sliding the wet pieces of newspaper on to the balloon, I was so focused on getting the job done that I wasn’t thinking about how I was going to make rent, about savings, about food and all the ways I am falling short. I was just focusing on this task that I had chosen to set in front of me not a bouquet of problems that was thrust into my face. It was nice to reach out to my childhood in this simple and fun way and to even if just for a half-hour, to think about something different.

Now I have to wait a few days until this first layer of paper mache fully dries and then I’ll add a second layer. Then I’ll stop being cheap and pull the trigger and buy some paint. And then the hardest part for me comes. Trying to be artistic and painting something on it.

Question: Are you the type of person with enough patience for puzzles?

I for sure, am not.

Also, have you done any arts and crafts during the pandemic? I would love to hear what you’ve been making 🙂

This is a picture of me finally with my hair down at the end of a long workday. I work at a Grocery store in manhattan. These are our dingey lockers where we keep our pens (they get stolen if we leave them on our registers) and our sad little lunches. You can see my seltzer hanging from my bag. I like this picture cause my eyelashes look as dramatic as I feel and because the angry skeleton represents how I feel about this new job that I’m working for minimum wage. I feel angry and dead. lol cheers!

Today has been a day. My bra started cutting into me by the end and my leggings elastic was busted and I had to keep pulling them up all day. Those things already had me wanting to scream.

I went to the eye doctor to hopefully have them fix the health issue that has been really bothering me for two years and I walked out of the Drs apt really optimistic that the end was in sight. I have been literally crying (this is way beyond watery eyes) on and off for about 2 years now. Lately, it is non stop which can so get in the way of life. It’s gotten so bad my vision is usually really blurry from the water in my eyes and there’s no point in wearing makeup cause it streaks and drips off within an hour of application. The Dr. was very professional, smart and treated me with respect (I’ve run into a lot of Dr’s who didn’t treat me with respect, unfortunately). She was also very young which made me jealous and had me feeling all types of ways. I’m a college dropout (for financial reasons) so seeing people thriving and using those degrees makes me feel a little sad for myself (I really am such a petty selfish person lmao). She asked if she could dilate my eyes and I said yes after being assured that 1) wouldn’t look crazy (“I work with kids”) and 2) that the blurriness would be over before. As soon as it kicked in I couldn’t read words on my phone and everything close to me was to blurry to fully make out for 2hrs. I looked crazy and my pupils were so huge (photo below) for half the day and the blurriness did linger longer than I would have liked. I was worried that my boss would see and think that I was on some type of drug so I was lucky that I spent the first half of the day with just the kids. They also took photos of the inside of my eyelids (she literally flipped my eyelids inside out and just thinking of the feeling makes me cringe). She then asked me if I wanted to see said photos to which I politely declined. They took some photos of the back of my eyelids with some bright lights and super expensive medical machines. She prescribed me two eye drops to take daily and I was on my way (to work).

I was happy thinking that the issue that had been making me want to scream for 2 years was now on its way to being fixed. I had finally, finally stopped procrastinating it. And I made plans to pick it up from my CVS after work. Something off my to do list! Yay!

TURNS OUT, even though it was supposed to be covered by my insurance… it’s not. And one of the eyedrops is $70 and the other is $40 ahahahaha. I can not afford that right now. I have too much credit card debt/toilet paper to buy/metro cards are expensive/we still have to eat. So now tomorrow I have to call the doctors office ask if they have my correct insurance information and if so and they’re really not gonna cover it, ask if there are cheaper alternatives and look my to do list is growing.

Fast forward to the end of my day after the kids (quick recap: I’m a nanny to 4 kids) have been fed and showered and are all watching their pads before bed. Cecelia was already in bed cause her bedtime is 15 mins before Charlie’s so hopefully she will be asleep before him and they won’t keep each other up. I walk around to check on the Charlie and Charlie had fallen asleep while watching his iPad. He looked so peaceful and sweet so I immediately gave my self a pep talk about how I can get him into bed without waking him up (“you can do this, Tessa. Not only can you but you will cause you have to.”) I picked him up and oh so gently and quietly carried him to bed. He didn’t wake up and Cecelia was still awake so once I had gotten Charlie under the covers I turned to her and in my most serious and intense whisper I told her “Charlie is sleeping, don’t say a word.” Amazingly it worked and not a peep was heard from their room. This was the best moment of my day. My heart felt full and overflowing with love and I felt so deeply and truly blessed that this is my job (!!). I really love these kids so much and I’ve only known them for a couple months. It makes me so excited for when I have kids of my own and hope that I’ll be a good mother. I know I won’t have a shortage of love for them. I know that I’ll try my best to listen to them and to make sure they have everything they need.

Look how creepy I looked 😦

This is my no I’m not an asshole wearing sunglasses inside my dr told me I have to cause my dilated pupils are really sensitive to light right now look.

I think that especially now voting is extremely important. It’s one of the only ways we can retain our power as American citizens when if feels like so much has happened with out our consent, that the face of our country has turned grotesque and monstrous. While everyone who can vote hopefully votes, lets not shame the people who can not because they can’t afford to miss a day of work or are too sick etc. Life is hard and you have to do what you have to do. Thus far in life I think that’s the closest thing I have to a motto. Also the Ariana Grande song breathin in which the chorus is “just keep breathing and breathing, and breathing and breathing” that’s my other motto. So far I’ve been lucky enough to only miss one election and that was because of work and that’s a reality for many more people than me. I hope one day at least presidential elections will be a mandatory day off for everyone so we’re all on the same page and heading to the polls together. Election day in NYC is tomorrow and I’ve been so busy that as of right now I am completely uneducated as to who’s running and who I am going to vote for. Tonight after work I’m going to sit down with my laptop and research and figure it out. I’m not going to vote unless I feel like I know what I’m doing and have made an educated decision. Anyway I hope you can run out to the polls tomorrow New Yorkers and I also hope you are well rested.

Hey, hi, aloha! These are my materialistic love affairs of the month of January that has gone by way to fast (so fast I almost didn’t make rent lol :D). Let me know if you’ve tried any of these thing and if you like them or no

Dunkin Donuts Hashbrowns: very cheap and very delicious and my ideal snack when i’m on the go in NYC cause theres a dunkin donuts everywhere

Tone Caffeine and Vanilla Blossom Body Wash: this is my favorite body was i’ve ever used cause it smells divine and I actually feel like it does help me be alive and awake in the morning. Also it has exfoliating beads which is an added bonus as I didn’t see it on the label.

The Magical Wonderfluff, Acure Organics: Ok so obviously I bought it for the name but it’s turned into my go to night moisturizer. The smell is really calming and I think it’s made my skin smoother and look way healthier.

Taking calcium pills: I have to do this cause my birth control has evil side effects that will cause my bones to break if I don’t but I’ve noticed it’s made my nails really long and strong as well so yea.

Parenthood: It’s the OG This is Us but with out the whole mystery of how a main character died thing… it’s just so good if you like emotional things. There are so many lovable characters and it is really relatable and real and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I highly recommend it. Also you can download it from netflix and it has made many subway delays painless.

Least favorites:
When places charge high prices for larger sizes of tea… cause wtf. In that case you’re being capitalistic as can be and just charging for more water.

When you think you’re making great time and are definitely gonna get to work on time and then your train isn’t running and now you have to stress

Having to work two jobs in one day and not getting to feel like yourself the whole time cause you’re on the clock

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thanks for being here!

This blog is a very random place where I document that I was here for myself when I get old and forget everything about my youth and for my grandchildren so they can see how fabulous I was and also what life was like way back in 2020. I hope that also if you’re reading this, you enjoy it too.